Gregor the Overlander
by WinchestersForever
Summary: Gregor's cousin Jake comes to help out the family while Gregor's mom is away. But what happens when Jake discovers the grate to the Underland? Better than it sounds.maybe a gregorluxa pairing
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Gregor, catch!"

Gregor turned just in time to see a football flying towards him. Not having any time to react, the football nailed him right in the head, making him fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Oh, sorry man! I thought you were better than that!" said his cousin, stooping to the ground, laughing and not sounding sorry at all.

Gregor ignored the hand he was holding out and pulled himself to his feet, rubbing the side of his forehead, already feeling the bump that was slowly forming. His cousin, Jake, was sent from his uncle's farm in Virginia, to help out Gregor and his family. Nobody knew anything of it until the day before he arrived, getting a phone call from Jake's mom.

Jake's presence only complicated things in Gregor's household. He was more harm than help, really. It was hard enough keeping the mouths of Gregor's own family fed, and now they had yet another mouth to feed. But Mrs. Cormaci just made more food for them and seemed to delight in having Jake around. But for Gregor, it was just the opposite; Jake was the kind of guy who would do anything to get his way and who would throw a football at an unsuspecting person and feign an apology.

Gregor sighed and made his way back to his apartment building with Jake trailing behind, still laughing hysterically. Gregor gritted his teeth and held back all the nasty comments he was dying to say to Jake. As they stepped inside the apartment, his little sister Boots raced towards them. Gregor, expecting her to run into his arms, bent his knees and stooped to the ground, his arms opened wide. But Boots flew right past him and plowed into Jake's knees instead.

He sighed and stood back up. And then there was another reason Gregor didn't like Jake. Despite how mean he was to Gregor, Boots seemed to adore him. First it was Mrs. Cormaci and now it was his own sister. Typical.

They sat down to a lunch of chicken noodle soup, made and served by Mrs. Cormaci, and then Gregor moved on to his room, which was really just a storage space. He sat on his bed and stared out his open window, thinking to himself, counting down the days until Jake left. Adding them up in his head, he realized he still had four more weeks to endure. Four more weeks of torture. Now, Jake didn't mess with Gregor until they were alone. He would mostly pester him, tugging on his ear or just tease him, but there were times like earlier in Central Park when he got nailed in the head with the football.

Gregor was snatched out of his thoughts by Lizzie, who had a frantic look on her face. "A message from Vikus came. Dad told me to give it to you."

Gregor sat up immediately, eager for news from the Underland. He hadn't been down for two weeks, since the day Jake had arrived. He quickly unrolled the note and read.

_Dear Gregor,_

_Why have you not been around? What of your plans to train with Ripred? He is not too happy that you've missed so many lessons. Besides that, your mother is doing a lot better; she hoped to see you soon and she worries for your family's well being. I do too for that matter. What's happening?_

_Luxa_

Gregor folded the note and sighed. He hadn't been able to get anywhere near the grate in the laundry room, not with him acting like a tour guide to Jake. So no one had sent any news to the Underlanders. Gregor had expected a note to come and he was surprised his father had gotten away to get it. He knew his mother would be tempted to come back up if he did not send some news soon.

"What's it say?" Lizzie asked, concern in her voice. "Is it about mom? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, but worried. I got to get some news to her." Gregor unfolded the note again and read it over. Later that night, when Mrs. Cormaci asked Jake to come over to her apartment to help her, Gregor scribbled a note on a piece of notebook paper.

_Luxa,_

_Can't explain it all in a note. Send Ares up to the grate tomorrow at midnight. I'll come down and explain everything then. In the mean time, don't worry, we're all okay. Sorry about scaring everyone. See you soon._

_Gregor_

Gregor took the note and stuck it into the grate. Hearing footsteps, he quickly straightened up and walked out just as a large man walked in, carrying a large black trash bag full of smelly clothes. Gregor had to resist the urge to clamp his fingers to his nose because he didn't want to be impolite.

After getting back to his apartment, he ate dinner with his family and went straight to bed, fully clothed. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he felt the bump where the football had hit him and sighed. Just another thing he would have to explain about tomorrow at school. He was relieved that tomorrow was the last day they had until spring break. Then he could maybe go to the Underland and say he was going to a friend's house.

Gregor felt something at his feet and looked down. Boots was trying to crawl onto his bed, unsuccessfully. He grinned and lifted her up, setting her down beside him. He turned on the lamp and saw her sleepy expression.

"Hi you," Gregor said.

"Hi you. We shut eye now?"

"Yeah, Boots. We shut eye." He turned off the lamp and Boots lay down in the nook of his arm. She hadn't slept with him since Jake had arrived. Normally she would have snuck into his bed every other night. Their parents discouraged her doing it but Gregor didn't have the heart to put her back in her own bed. Every night she wasn't with him she was with Jake.

Gregor couldn't tell why she liked him so much. Yes he could. Jake snuck her cookies just before dinner and he even played with her toy poison arrow frogs with her. Gregor used to do those things but he was too busy helping out to play and he was trying to get her to stop eating snacks just before dinner. He even told Jake that she wasn't allowed to have cookies when they were about to eat but he smirked and gave her some anyway.

Man, Jake could really get under Gregor's skin! Almost as bad as Luxa. Gregor sighed again and yawned. "Why aren't you in your own bed, little girl?"

"I want to sleep in big girl bed. I sleepy with Jakey but he gone now. So I came to you, Grego!"

Gregor sat straight up. "Where'd Jake go, Boots?"

But Boots was out, snoring softly. Gregor crawled to the end of his bed and climbed out of his room. He went to the front room and searched the whole house, but Jake really was gone. Shaking his dad's shoulder, Gregor told him what was happening and together they got up to search the building.

"You don't think he went to the laundry room, do you?"

"Why would he? Nobody followed me. As I was leaving some man came in but that was all." But even as Gregor spoke those words, a terrible knot was forming in his stomach and doubt was forming in the farthest corners of his mind. Had Jake been in there when Gregor sent he note? Did he come in after that and read the note before the Underlanders got to it?

Gregor dashed out into the hallway and ran as quietly as he could to the laundry room. He opened the door to find it empty. He checked the grate but it was closed firmly but the note was gone. Gregor's heart missed a beat until his logical side interrupted.

_Calm down. The bats have probably already taken it to Luxa._ Gregor took a deep breath and went back to his dad. Explaining what he saw, his dad shook his head. "Then where can he be?"

They went back to the apartment and searched again but he wasn't there. Gregor knocked lightly on Mrs. Cormaci's door . She answered, coming to the door in a fuzzy pink robe. "Hi, Mrs. Cormaci, sorry to bother you. But have you seen Jake?"

Mrs. Cormaci frowned. "No, not since dinner, Gregor. Have you checked the building?"

Gregor nodded. After searching the building again, with the help of Mrs. Cormaci, Gregor's dad finally decided to go back to the apartment and call the police. But when they got back, there was Jake, sleeping soundly on his pallet on the floor. Mrs. Cormaci cried out in relief and Gregor's dad thanked her for helping.

The next morning, Gregor's dad confronted Jake on where he was last night. Jake apologized and said he just went for milk at the corner store. He was up late and trying to find a snack when he realized they were out of milk. He said he knew how much they needed milk for the mornings and decided to run and get some. He apologized again but Gregor's dad still punished him, grounding him from the TV for the rest of the day. Gregor half expected him to protest but he didn't.

After eating breakfast, Gregor got ready for school and went to see what was holding Lizzie up. He thought she was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth but instead he found her leaning over the toilet, vomit spewing from her mouth. After putting her to bed and giving her a dose of medicine, Gregor's dad sent him off to school.

For Gregor, the day past quickly enough. After school he stopped by a bookstore and bought a cheap puzzle book for Lizzie. That kid loved puzzles. He thought it might cheer her up about being sick. But as soon as he walked through the door, he was frantically pulled inside by his dad.

"They're gone, Gregor, they're gone."

* * *

Author's Note

This is my first ever fanfic so please review and tell me what you guys think! Flames, compliments, suggestions, whatever, they are all welcome! Just tell me what you think. Next chapter up soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Who is?" he asked dumbly.

"Lizzie and Jake. I took Boots to the store with me and Mrs. Cormaci. I needed Jake to stay and watch after Lizzie since she's sick. And we just got home not even five minutes ago."

Gregor flung his backpack off his shoulders and dashed to the laundry room, his instincts telling him what his brain already knew, what he dreaded. The room was empty and the grate was open.

* * *

Lizzie was panicking. She had followed Jake to the laundry room, trying to get him to go back to the apartment. Her heart nearly stopped when Jake had stooped down by the grate leading to the Underland. He pulled out the note Gregor had written and read it over.

"Midnight. Dang it! We have to wait that long?" Lizzie had tried pulling him away from the grate but the thirteen year old was a lot bigger and stronger than she was. Suddenly the grate fell open and Jake fell in, and at the last moment he had grabbed onto Lizzie's ankle, dragging her down with him.

She had screamed but no one had heard her except for Jake. Now they were free falling but slowly, having been caught by the currents Gregor had told her about.

Lizzie was crying, scared out of her mind. She gasped to get air into her lungs, feeling a panic attack coming on. A long while later, they landed on the hard ground. Lizzie's legs couldn't support her body so she fell to the ground and curled up in a ball. Jake was standing up, looking around but he couldn't see anything.

"Whoa," he breathed, fascinated at still being alive after that long fall. Lizzie choked back her tears and stood up, wobbling and almost falling over again. But she managed to keep herself steady.

"Jake?" she half whispered half called. But he ignored her and continued to mumble to himself. Lizzie couldn't see anything and she was scared. Then she heard a noise that made her heart stop. There was a faint scratching sound, heading in their direction. Then it was louder and closer.

She then heard a voice. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

A second voice joined the first. "I'd say it be a couple of humans, Mistyback."

Lizzie knew right then that the voices belonged to rats. Not normal rats. But the huge Underlander rats that had haunted her dreams ever since Gregor had told her the story of his first Underland trip. She wasted no time in screaming. She screamed, loud and long. Then she felt something hit her in the head and knock her to the ground. She felt one of the rats lean into her face.

"You got to be quiet, little girl, else you'll invite many more rats to join us in our little meal." The rat laughed and Lizzie felt Jake being pushed to the ground beside her. She could feel the fear radiating from him.

Lizzie knew that there was no way out. Her little body trembled and shook, hot tears falling down her cheeks. She muttered a hopeless, "Help," but she knew that no help was coming.

"Allow me to do the honor, Mistyback. I want the girl." Lizzie braced herself, waiting for the teeth and claws to pierce her skin but they didn't come.

Suddenly another rat joined them, tackling the rat that was about to bite Lizzie. Lizzie had enough sense to crawl back. She pulled on Jake until he was crawling beside her. They ran into a wall and cowered in a ball. Meanwhile the rats were fighting viciously. Lizzie was sure that if she could see that there would be blood. She was suddenly glad that she couldn't.

Suddenly, the fighting stopped. The new comer approached them and suddenly, Lizzie could see. The rat had lit a torch. Lizzie blinked in the sudden light and gazed up at the rat, feeling sure that this really was the end.

"Please, let us go," she cried feebly. But her tears suddenly stopped when she saw the long scar on the rat's face. She realized she recognized him.

"Ripred!" she cried loudly, pushing herself to her feet and catching the rat by surprise by flinging herself into him, hugging him and hiding her face in his fur. New tears cascaded down the girl's face but this time they were tears of relief.

Ripred growled warningly but Lizzie knew he wouldn't hurt her. But she backed off anyway and wiped her tears. Jake was still sitting on the floor, curled up into a ball. "You must be Lizzie," Ripred said.

Lizzie nodded and pulled a cookie out of her pocket. She handed it to Ripred who took it eagerly and scarfed it down, not even chewing. He licked his lips when he was done and smiled. "Yep, definitely Lizzie. So tell me, why are you here?"

But Lizzie, who had had enough for one day, sank to her knees and passed out from exhaustion. Ripred groan and flung her onto his back, noticing Jake for the first time. "Come on, boy, unless you want more rats to come and make dinner out of you."

Jake scrambled to his feet and followed the giant rat into the tunnels.

Gregor ran back to the apartment and grabbed a flashlight, checking the batteries. He was worried about Lizzie. Just hearing about the Underland freaked her out. He dreaded the reaction she might have once she was actually in it. Gregor ran back to the laundry room with his dad, Boots and Mrs. Cormaci following swiftly behind.

Pushing open the grate with one hand, Gregor started to slid his body into the hole. "We go see mama?" came Boots' voice.

Gregor pulled her into his arms. "Yeah, we go see mama, Boots." To his dad, he said," I'll be back soon. With Jake and Lizzie." Then he let go of the edge and felt himself falling into the currents. When they got to the bottom, Gregor flicked his flashlight on and shone it all around him, the light landing on the two bodies of the rats.

"Uh oh," he breathed, his mind racing with the horrible possibilities that could have happened to his sister. Finding nothing else to do, Gregor decided to go to Regalia. If anybody could help him find them, it would be the Regalians. And if he knew Lizzie, if she was okay she would go straight there. If she could find her way.

Gregor's stomach tightened as he set Boots on the ground. They walked all the way to Regalia, coming into the playing fields. Nobody was there, which didn't worried him too much; they weren't even in the city yet.

"Up, Overlander," Gregor heard the familiar purr of his bond, Ares. Gregor jumped up just high enough for his large bat to catch him. Boots squealed in delight as Ares swooped low to the ground before gathering height until they were high up in the air.

"Hey, Ares, have you heard anything about two Overlanders falling with the currents? My sister and ..."

"They are fine, Gregor. Ripred found them. Luxa is seeing to them."

Gregor felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders and he felt like he could breath freely once more. He finally relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy being in the Underland once more. Ares flew into the city and landed on the palace balcony where they were met by three guards.

Gregor hopped off Ares' back and handed Boots over to the nanny, Dulcet. Right then, Luxa appeared with Hazard on her heels. "Where have you been?" she cried when she reached him. "We sent a note to the grate and you have not replied. We thought the worst had happened when your sister arrived instead of you."

"But I sent a note back. It was gone so I thought you guys..." his voice trailed off when he remembered Jake. Luxa looked angry but relieved at the same time.

"What's been happening?"

Gregor told her about Jake coming to visit and she lost the anger on her face, replacing it instead with a look of disdain. "Yes, your cousin. He is not very... intelligent is he?"

Gregor laughed. "What do you mean?"

"See for yourself," she said, leading him to the room Gregor normally spent the night in when he came to the Underland. Jake was laying on the bed, curled up in a ball, sucking his thumb. At this sight, Gregor laughed heartily, making Jake jump up in surprise.

"Gregor! You found me! Take me home!"

Suddenly Gregor quit laughing, realizing the situation at hand was no laughing matter. Jake knew about the Underland. Worse, he was _in_ the Underland.

* * *

Author's Note

Long time, no see! So sorry for the long, long, long time it took for me to finally update. I wasn't sure whether to continue but my reviewers encouraged me on, so many thanks to them. Which brings me to answering all the reviews I have recieved:

**CPU: **Well, here's the next chap for ya! I hope you liked!

**Rogue Icicle:** Gee, thanks! lol And I really am thinking of a Gregor/Luxa relationship...I'll just see how it goes, I guess!

**Nefyra: **I'm glad you noticed! I was so worried that I would mess it up, but from what my reviewers are saying, I'm not doing too bad a job!

**NO ONE is 14: **I know Gregor likes her and everything, but I couldn't ignore the fact that they did argue all the time. : )

**Bisou Namine: **Well, I think (I haven't really made up my mind yet) that this will be part of the story (Gregor not catching the football). You'll just have to read and find out! hinthint ; )

**devoted99: **Yeah, we should, huh? And yeah, their relationship will be like puppy love. I hate it when fanfiction authors write inappropriate things for children books. So don't worry, nothing like that from me!

**davis45108: **thanks! your encouragement is a great helping factor in completing this story! (and everyone elses')

**dinolove453:** I love this series too! I read the fourth book and I was so put off by the cliffie I decided to write a fanfic to keep me busy!

**NaginiFay: **Sorry for the prolonged update!

**Simple San: **Thanks!

I hope you all liked this chapter...Please review and tell me what you think! Anything you just have to nitpick at, please do so. I want to make this fanfic as good as possible! Thanks again for reading!

And sorry if the chapter is short. Just click on the review button and tell all in a review! And flames are welcome; as long as they are for the good of the story, so no "You suck" etc without a good reason. ; )


	3. Chapter 3

**I know it's taken me forever and a day to update, but until now, I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go with the story, but now I've pretty much gotten it all straighted out. Thanks for your patience and I hope you like the new chapter.**

**Someone asked me when this story took place a while ago, sorry I never said before. It's between books three and four, so there won't be any spoilers for the fourth or fifth books. By the way, has anyone read _Gregor and the Code of Claw_? It was sooo good! **

**Okay, on with the chapter.**

**

* * *

**Gregor had never really thought of what he might do if someone outside his immediate family ever found out his secret. Truthfully, he'd never _wanted_ to think about it; telling Mrs. Cormaci had been hard enough. So what would happen now? Jake wasn't one to keep secrets, especially one this big 

"Listen, Jake," Gregor started, but stopped, not knowing what to say. What _could_ he say? That this is all just a dream? Don't worry, you just imagined you fell through a hole into a whole new world and was almost eaten by rats? No, Jake wouldn't buy that, not even in his panicked state.

He wasn't listening to Gregor anyway, instead was mumbling to himself, taking in Luxa and her pale skin, his eyes wondering to Hazard , who peered back at him curiously. "Rats!" he exclaimed suddenly and shivered, as if remembering his terrifying run in with the giant Underland creatures. He fell silent, looking at Gregor as if waiting for an explanation, but then continued his babbling.

Gregor turned to Luxa. "Is there any way we can...put him out until I figure out what to do? I need to think."

"I can send for a doctor to sedate him, if you'd like," Luxa offered, looking disdainfully at her friend's cousin.

"Yeah, that'd--"

"Wait, you know her?" Jake suddenly blurted, snapping out of his mindless babbling. "You've been here before?" he demaned accussingly.

"Well--"

But Jake cut him off. "Of course! That explains a lot. Your mom isn't taking a vacation, she's here, isn't she? And your dad, he was here too."

The whole taking the vacation thing had been the excuse Gregor and his family had told Jake to keep him from wondering where his mother was. It had worked, until now. Gregor looked worriedly at Luxa as Jake smiled gleefully as a sudden epiphany struck him. "This is too good to be true! I could make millions from this place!" he said to himself, forgetting about the others and loosing his fear.

An awful feeling struck Gregor just then. "What do you mean, make millions? Jake, you can't tell anyone about this place!" he said forcefully.

His cousin glared at him defiantly. "Why not? I'm surprised _you_ haven't gone world wide with this. That would have set your family for life. Besides, this is too good a thing to forget."

"What does he speak of, Gregor?" Luxa asked, catching on to Gregor's urgency.

"He wants to sell you guys out to the news for money. I can't let that happen."

Luxa still looked confused. "I do not understand. Explain!"

"He wants to expose the Underland to the Overlanders. But that's bad, 'cause then all the scientists will come done and do tons of experiments on you guys and take control of everything. Trust me, you don't want that to happen," Gregor spelled it out for her.

Luxa took on her royal stance, her shoulders back and her head high, looking Jake right in the eye. "Then I forbid it!" Her eyes burned a whole into Jake's as she glared at him.

Jake snorted, but Gregor could tell he was unnerved. "Oh yeah, and who are you to tell me what to do? Queen of the Underworld or something?"

"Actually, she is. Well, Queen of Regalia at least," Gregor stated. He couldn't help the smirk that formed as Jake looked slightly phased.

But then the jerk came back with, "Queen of _Regalia_, not America. I'm not under her authority."

"While within Regalian walls all are under the Queen's authority. Even an Overlander such as yourself," came a voice from the door.

"Vikus!" Gregor said with relief. The tall old man stood in the doorway, looking the same as always, but much more drained. Gregor supposed learning of his wife, Solovet's, role in the plague had taken much out of him.

Jake lost some of his bravado as Vikus joined them. "Welcome, as always, Gregor the Overlander. Please, tell me what brings you and your cousin?"

So Gregor explained again about how Jake had come for a visit and how, using the little knowledge he had, he and Lizzie had fallen through the grate. "Oh man, Lizzie!" Gregor exclaimed, having forgotten all about his little sister in the emergency with Jake.

Vikus held up a hand to calm him. "She is well, Gregor, do not fear. Ripred has brought her safely to us. Mareth put her in with your mother to sleep."

Gregor let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

Before anything else was said, Luxa broke in, reminding them of the current situation. After explaining what Jake planned to do, she said furiously, "Something must be done!" She shot him a loathing look, but he didn't see because he wouldn't meet anyone's eyes.

But then, teenage rebellion kicked in and he was back to his defiant self. "I want to go home! You have no right to keep me here!"

Vikus smiled sadly. "We cannot, not until this matter of your ideas for the Underland are put to rest. You know not what you would do if you should spread word of us. Truthfully, I do not know what would happen, but no good could come of it."

"Fine! All right! I won't tell anyone about the stupid Underworld. Now take me home!" Jake demanded.

"Under_land_," Gregor corrected, embarrassed that his friends had seen what he was related to. "And I know you. Once you're back up there, there's nothing stopping you from blabbing."

"Except you," Luxa pointed out.

Jake snorted incredously and laughed. "Yeah right! Little Gregor can't even catch a football, let alone stand a chance fighting against me!"

Gregor's cheeks burned with indignant anger and was about to defend himself when Luxa did the job for him. "Gregor has stood strong against many dangers and has saved my life on more than one occassion. While you cowered from the rats, he has killed more than you can count. Surely he can defeat such an unworthy opponent such as yourself."

Gregor's heart warmed from the compliments he'd just recieved and was happy when Jake backed down. He smiled thankfully at Luxa, but she didn't see. She was still staring Jake down.

"Enough," Vikus finally said, raising his hands and stepping between them. "This is a great shock to Jake, Luxa, do not judge him on his fear of the rats. Not everyone can cope as well as Gregor had when first arriving in the Underland, and even he was anxious to go home. Come, Jake, let us walk. Perhaps we may come to a compromise."

Jake looked distrustfully at the kind old man, but finally, after shooting an uncertain look towards Gregor, he followed him out of the room and their retreating footsteps echoed off the walls until they could not be heard at all.

Finally Luxa allowed her body to relax and her shoulders slunched slightly and she did the thing where she pushed the thin gold crown on her head up a little further. "What an infuriating brat!"

Gregor remembered that was just what he had thought of her when he had first come to the Underland and the irony of the statement made him smile. But then Jake brought another person to mind, and the smile quickly vanished.

Luxa had obviously reached the same conclusion. "One would be reminded of..." she said quietly.

"Henry," Gregor finished, watching her face fall at the sound of his name.

"Yes." She lowered her gaze and Hazard slipped a comforting hand into her own. She looked up and smiled for his benefit, but Gregor could tell she was still bothered.

"Don't worry, Luxa. I won't let Jake do anything that jepordizes the Underland. I won't." Gregor patted her awkwardly on the back. Then he changed the subject, wanting to leave the painful one behind. "I have to go see Lizzie. Walk me there?"

When they made it to his mom's room, she was awake and sitting up in the bed, looking better than before but still sick. Laying next to her on a cot was Lizzie, blissfully asleep. Boots was sitting on the cot next to her and held a finger to her lips when Gregor and Luxa entered. "Shhhh! Lizzie seeping."

"Shhh," Gregor agreed, smiling softly. He turned to his mom and took her hand, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "Hey, Mom. How you doing?"

"I could be better, but under the circumstances, I'm fine. Hello, Luxa," his mom greeted. "Would you like to sit down?" Since the only chair was the one Gregor was sitting in, his mom looked at him pointedly and he stood so Luxa could sit.

"I heard about Jake. Is he okay?"

And so, with the help of Luxa, Gregor explained to her all that had happened. When they were finished, his mom looked thoughtful. "Maybe you could show him some of the good things here. Like the bats and the crops and things. Show him all the good he'd destroy if he told. Maybe then he'd understand all that was at stake."

Just then a doctor came in and ushered Gregor, Boots and Luxa out the door, claiming his mom needed to get some rest. With a last wave, Gregor took Boots into his arms and followed Luxa back to her place, where she had sent Hazard to wait. Right away he and Boots took up a game of saying all the words they knew in Crawler, leaving Gregor and Luxa to talk with themselves.

Luxa sent for food and while they waited, she and Gregor sat on the couches, each of them lost in their thoughts. Finally, Gregor said, "Maybe what my mom said will work. Jake's a jerk, but even he wouldn't bring the world down to ruin eveything you guys have worked for, if he knew what was at stake."

"Perhaps. But I am not worried that Overlanders will take away everything we have. My people will fight, Gregor, as will the gnawers and crawlers and spinners. All of the Underland will. If Jake brings your people to the Underland, and they want to do what you say they will, the Underland won't go peacefully."

This hadn't even occured to Gregor. "You mean there'd be, like, a war?"

"If it came down to it, yes," Luxa answered.

Gregor's blood ran cold. It made sense. Everyone in the Underland was terribly territorial. Creatures would fight to the death for good fishing grounds, even their own species. It was the same above ground, too: whole countries fought wars for new land. So he knew, if things got bad, neither side would hesitate to defend or conquer.

He decided right then that no matter what it took, he would stop Jake from exposing the Underland. Even if it meant keeping him against his will and throwing him in the dungeon for a while. And, if all else failed, Gregor could always get Ripred to talk to him. If anyone could scare someone into changing their mind, it would be him.

* * *

**Thank you some much for taking the time to read this chapter! Please just take a little bit more time and review for me!**

Sorry for the long gap in the update, but now that I've gotten everything all figured out, I should update more frequently. I hope I still have all my readers!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Here's another chapter for all my readers! Thanks to all those who review Chapter Three. I didn't get as many reviews as I wanted, but I suppose I deserved that after not updating for months. ) Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'll have more time for updates now so I should get more chapters up more frequently. Maybe even another chapter today...No promises though

For all those who have been waiting for a little Gregor/Luxa fluff, this chapter is for you. There isn't much, but I think it's still cute...Enjoy!

* * *

Ares and Aurora swooped in just as Gregor was putting Boots to bed. His stomach was full from dinner and it almost hurt to move. Hazard crawled into bed next to Boots, but didn't lay down.

"I will get her to sleep, Gregor. You need some rest yourself," he offered, patting Boots on her tummy.

"Thanks, Hazard," Gregor said gratefully. "Are you sure?"  
Hazard gave him a nod and Gregor left him softly singing a lullaby to the sleepy Boots. He passed Luxa on his way out as she went in to bid her brother goodnight. "Do not sleep yet, Gregor. I need to speak with you," she said as she passed him.

Gregor nodded, but suspicion rose in his stomach. He had a feeling Luxa had more planned than just to talk with him. And when he saw the bats with rolled up blankets on their backs, he knew he was right. They were going somewhere. He greeted Ares, placing his hand in his claw and nodded polietly to Aurora. "So, does anybody want to tell me where we're going?"

"Do you not trust me, Overlander?" Luxa asked, coming back into the room with a slight smile.

Gregor pretended to consider this for a minute. "I haven't made up my mind yet. But seriously, where are we going?"

"I just want to get out of the palace for a while. Ever since I returned, the Council hasn't allowed me to leave, but if I am in the company of the warrior, they could hardly object."

Gregor had wondered about that. Luxa went missing on the trip to find the Bane and had found refuge with the mice in the jungle. She had accompanied Gregor, Hamnet, Ripred and Lapblood in their quest to find the cure to the plague. In her absence, Narissa, her sickly, weak cousin, had had to take her place as Queen. Narissa could not handle it, though she tried, and all of Regalia was happy to have Luxa home.

"Why would they let you out if you were with me?" he asked.

"You are the Overlander, the savior of the Underland," Luxa said with a hint of sarcasm. "If anything should happen, who better than to fight along side me?"

Okay, so he got it now. But Gregor still didn't think the Council would want her out of the palace, with or without him. Sure, he was the warrior, but since he had let the Bane live instead of killing it, he'd lost a lot of points with the Regalians. But he didn't say anything further and mounted Ares, accepting her answer. He did trust Luxa, with his life in fact, and she was his friend. He understood what it felt like to need to just get away.

So he followed her and Aurora to Ares's old cave, where the bat went when he wanted to escape the world and be alone. They spread out the blankets and lit three torches before settling down on their pallet. Luxa seemed happy to be out and she stretched luxuriously on the blankets. "That's better," she sighed in content.

Gregor sat stifly to her right, not relaxing. Being so close to Luxa made him nervous, so he talked to his bond, not only to busy himself but also because he'd missed him since they'd been apart.

"How're things, Ares?" he said casually.

"Things could be better, Overlander. But they are good now that you are back," came the answer. Poor Ares. He was not well liked among bats or humans because he had saved Gregor on the first quest rather than his old bond, Henry, breaking the oath he'd sworn to him. And of course, not killing the Bane when Gregor wouldn't didn't exactly help him either.

After a while Aurora and Ares huddled together in the corner to sleep, leaving just Luxa and Gregor together. "I wonder where Jake is," he mused aloud, still sitting stifly.

"Vikus will still be speaking with him, telling him the story of Sandwich and showing him the Prophecy Room. Everything he did for you when you first arrived," Luxa answered, laying on her side facing him, with her cheek resting in her palm.

"Right. I don't think that'll make too big a difference," Gregor muttered, not very happily.

Luxa's face darkened. "Let us not speak of such unhappy things, Gregor. Can we not have one moment of peace, just to relax?"

Gregor immediately felt guilty. The whole point of coming out here was to get away from the palace and from Regelia's troubles. Talking about Jake just ruined it. "Sorry," he said quickly, kicking himself.

Luxa's smile returned and she returned to her laying flat on her back position. Gregor sighed quietly, running his fingers through his hair. His lower back was already starting to ache from sitting up so straight and his knees felt cramped. Luxa noticed his discomfort and said to the ceiling, not quite meeting his gaze, "Make yourself comfortable, Gregor, I do not know how long I wish to stay."

Gregor hesitated, but then obliged. He lay as far away from Luxa as possible, though it still wasn't very far because the blankets they were on weren't that big. Stretching out his aching muscles, he sighed pleasantly, allowing himself a small smile. They sat in silence for several minutes, but Gregor couldn't tell if it was an awkward silence or a comfortable one. They both stared fixedly at the darkness of the ceiling above, listening to the silent purring of the sleeping bats.

Finally, it was Luxa who broke the silence. "Why do you sit so far away? Does my smell offend you?" she asked, only half-jokingly.

It was then Gregor realized the distance he'd put between them offended her and made it seem like he didn't want to be there. "No!" he said quickly. "It's just...I..."

Luxa turned her head, smiling. "I understand." But did she? Gregor wondered. "But I must have you know, I do not bite. You may come closer." On the last sentences she looked away from him again and spoke quietly. Gregor knew then that Luxa was just as shy about this as he was.

He scooched her way, placing his hands behind his head as she did, until their elbows were touching. Even though she wasn't looking at him, Gregor could tell Luxa was smiling. "Tell me about the Overland," she demanded suddenly in an attempt to leave the awkwardness behind.

So Gregor did, putting on his storytelling voice he used with Boots when putting her to sleep. He talked about Central Park, how people went there to have picnics and play with their dogs or familes. He told her about his school and his friends and he told her about New York City at Christmas time, how all the lights made everything look like something out of a fairytale. Soon, he could hear Luxa's breathing slow and he knew she was asleep. He knew he should wake her up, so they could go back to the palace, but he liked laying next to her and he was feeling really sleepy himself. So he just closed his eyes and let sleep take him over.

Gregor woke up to frantic voices cutting through the silence and he opened his eyes to see a tall figure riding on a bat swoop into the cave, a torch held in his hand. "They are here!" he called over his shoulder and two more riders quickly joined him.

Gregor was still not completely awake when Mareth's face loomed over him, shaking his shoulder. "Awake, Gregor."

Someone was doing the same to Luxa and as Gregor sat up, groggily rubbing his eyes, he saw it was her cousin, Howard. He was looking pretty furious. Luxa bolted up, her hand reaching for her sword. But when she realized what was going on, she relaxed slightly. "Howard?" she asked uncertainly, obviously not yet fully awake.

"Up, Overlander," Mareth said gently, pulling Gregor to his feet. Ares moved closer to Gregor and his pressence made him feel a little better. He could tell by Howard's anger that he and Luxa were in serious trouble and having Ares by his side made him feel reassured.

The third male, an Underlander Gregor didn't recognize, rolled the blankets up and stapped them to his bat's back as Howard scowled dangerously at Gregor and Luxa, obviously struggling to hold back his anger. "What were you thinking?" he hissed. "The people of Regelia are beside themselves with worry! Half the city is out searching for you!" he shouted at Luxa. "And you," he said, turning to Gregor, who did his best not to flinch. But Mareth cut in before Howard got a chance to say anything more.

"Please, let us return to the Palace so everyone knows they are safe. That is the important thing," he reasoned, gently pushing Howard towards Nike, the zebra stripped bat he'd taken to since his bond, Pandora, had been eaten alive by the mites. Luckily, Howard did as he was told and mounted the bat, giving Gregor a dangerous glare.

Luxa was seething with anger herself; she didn't like that Howard had yelled at her. She was on the verge of shouting when Aurora wisely flipped her onto her large back and took off after Howard. Gregor looked apologetically at Mareth. "Man, I'm sorry for all the trouble we've caused. It was just--"

"Mount up, Gregor. It is not me you have to explain yourself to," he answered, mounting his own bat. Gregor sighed and he and Ares flew after Luxa, Mareth and the Underlander Gregor didn't recognize flying after him

Man, were they in for it.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it! But I need some comments on how well I am doing on staying in character and stuff. I'm flattered that you all love my story, but I could use some helpful comment every now and then! D

Thanks for reading! Now take just a little more time and review! Please? Remember, more reviews more chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so here's the new chapter! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I lost a very dear friend of mine just a few weeks ago and it's been hard getting over that. But I had a sudden inspiration for this chapter and, well, here it is.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to tell about what happened when Gregor and Luxa had to face the music, so I hope you guys like how I did it. And someone asked me about the Rager thing in a review from the first chapter, so I decided to add some of that into the story.

Thank you to all my reviewers, reading your reviews makes writing this fanfic worthwhile. To **Sparrow Logan**, thank you for your suggestion, here's a little taste of it for you in this chapter! Don't worry, more will be coming soon! The whole Jake making Gregor jealous was a large part of the story when I began writing it, so there will be plenty of that!

And now before I ruin the whole story for everyone, here's Chapter Five. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Five

Gregor crawled into bed in the room that he always slept in when visiting the Underland, and buried his face in the pillow, utterly relieved to be away from the wrath of his mother. Howard had exaggerated--okay, downright lied--when he'd said half the city was searching for him and Luxa. In fact, only Vikus and Gregor's mom, along with a select few palace guards, even knew they were missing. But they _had_ caused a lot of worry.

Howard had taken Gregor and Luxa straight to Luxa's quarters, where Grace and Vikus were waiting. Immediately after making sure he wasn't injured, Grace had yelled at him, asking what he was thinking, how could he after everything that had happened, and pretty much humiliating him in front of everyone. But Gregor knew he deserved it. His mom was still very sick, and she was up using all her energy waiting and worrying for him, and then spending it all on fussing over him. Not exactly a great way to get better.

But what happened after that was worse. Replaying the scene in his mind, Gregor groaned audibly and pulled the blankets over his head, hiding as if someone was there to see.

FLASHBACK

Vikus put a calming hand on Grace's shoulder, gently easing her until her back was resting against the backrest. She closed her eyes tiredly and Gregor felt a pang of guilt at how pale she looked. Once she had calmed down, Vikus indicated for Gregor, Luxa, and Howard to sit. "Please inform us of your whereabouts, Luxa. It was very foolish of you to disappear like that."

Luxa bowed her head in shame but before she could answer, Howard cut angrily in. "They were in a cave. Sleeping together on the floor, while the rest of us were out looking for them relentlessly--"

"Enough, Howard. Hold your peace," Vikus said, not unkindly. Gregor's cheeks burned at Howard's words, realizing it wasn't so much that he and Luxa were gone, but they had been gone--and found--together. Obviously this wasn't something Howard liked.

"We just went to Ares' cave. The bats were with us, we very perfectly safe," Luxa defending, glaring at her cousin. "We only intended to stay a while, but we fell asleep," she explained, turning her back on Howard and speaking to Vikus.

During that conversation, Grace had caught Gregor's eye and was giving him a pointed look. Apparently she too had caught Howard's meaning. Gregor shrugged one shoulder helplessly, hating the look his mom was giving him. She didn't look all that angry, her face dawning realization. But he could tell that their sneaking off wasn't forgotten. And Gregor wasn't going to get away unpunished for it either.

"I understand what happened," Grace said and Gregor could have sworn he saw a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. His heart skipped a beat.

Vikus turned to her, happy to turn his back on Luxa and Howard's arguing. "Oh? Please, do tell." He seemed ginueinly interested.

"They just wanted to be alone," Grace explained, and only Gregor caught the slyness in her voice. "They've been apart for so long, and they are young after all."

Gregor's breath caught in his throat and he felt himself flush hot with embarrassment. Vikus looked confused for a moment, but then realization struck. "Ah, I see," he stated, shooting a glance at Luxa, who was as red as Gregor felt.

Then Vikus stood up and clapped his hands together briskly. "Well, then..." he couldn't seem to find the right words to say. Eventually he sent them all back to their rooms after saying again, mostly to Luxa, how irresponsible she'd been...

END FLASHBACK

Gregor groaned again. Luxa had refused to look at him and Howard--man, Howard. If looks could kill, Gregor would be pushing up daisies. While their actions seemed to have been forgiven, thanks to the explanation--however untrue it was--his mom had given, the night had still gone from bad to worse. Howard, one of Gregor's best friends in the Underland, now hated him and Luxa, his very best Underland friend, wouldn't even look at him.

Gregor had just jumped out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

* * *

The next morning, Gregor was faced with another situation. Jake. His talk with Vikus seemed to have calmed him down, but there was still convincing him to keep his big mouth shut. After seeing that Lizzie got back to the Overland, Gregor and Ares flew to the training field to meet Jake. When they landed Jake was standing sullenly in the middle of the field with his arms crossed, pretending not to be impressed with the swordsmanship Howard and another Underlander were demonstrating for him.

When Gregor approached Howard gave him a cold stare and moved to another group to practice. Gregor sighed and bracing himself for putting up with Jake.

"Wow, is that yours?" Jake asked, pointing to Ares, who was flying away after dropping Gregor on the field to be with the other bats, who were doing flying exercises.

"Ares is my bond. He belongs to nobody," Gregor replied shortly, put off from Howard's behavior. "All right, follow me. Let's--"

"Can I ride him?"

Gregor fought the urge to scowl. "Fine." Then he waved Ares back, watching his large black form growing larger and larger until he landed directly in front of them.

Without having to be asked, Ares bowed low to allow Jake to clamper up his back and settle himself between his wings. Gregor gave his bond an apologetic look and then climbed up behind his cousin. Jake was glowing with excitement and Gregor could hear the smile in his voice as he hooted in gleeful anticipation. Without warning Ares shot off the ground, one pwerful stroke of his wings carrying them almost as high as the other bats.

His takeoff was so sudden Jake was still hooting for him to start, and the mirthful laugh was immediately changed to a scream of terror. Gregor laughed quietly and could hear the telltale "Heh heh" of Ares' laughter as well. Flying fast, Ares flew them around the arena, swooping wildly and turning sharply. Gregor didn't hold on at all, completely trusting his bond not to throw him off, but Jake squealed and squeezed tight with both his arms and his knees.

Appreciative laughter rang all through out the arena; apparently the Underlanders were taking just as much joy in this as Gregor was. After several more minutes of this, Ares swooped to the ground, where Jake, in his haste to climb down, tumbled off the bat's back and onto the ground. Gregor couldn't hide the smug smile as he jumped gracefully to his cousin's side and offered him a hand.

"You did that on purpose," Jake accused, snarling.

Gregor held up his hands as if warding off a blow. The Underlanders, fortunately for Jake, had the polietness to stop their laughter and return their attention back to their training. "All right, all right. I'm sorry. But you have to admit, it was pretty fun."

Jake gave Gregor a reluctant smile. "Yeah, it was." Then, as if realizing what he was doing, he scowled and crossed his arms.

Gregor sighed and they walked back to the palace for lunch; Jake refused to ride Ares again, so they would meet up again back at the palace. As the two boys made their way through the city, Jake suddenly turned and smirked at Gregor, the kind of smirk that said "I know something you don't want me to know."

After several moments of this silent smirk, Gregor lost patience and blurted, "What're you looking at me like that for?"

Jake's smirk got wider. "There's been a rumor going around"--here he paused for dramatic effect before continuing--"involving you and the princess."

Gregor felt his face grow hot. "Oh yeah?" he tried to say casually. "And what's that?"

"So you've got the hots for her, huh?"

"I don't have 'the hots' for anyone," Gregor replied forcefully, walking ahead as he tried to keep his cool.

"Oh, so you'll sneak off on a romantic nighttime getaway with just anybody, will you?" Jake taunted as he jogged to catch up.

Gregor felt his blood start to boil and suddenly he had the near uncontrollable urge to fight, to lash out with his anger. His Rager sense was kicking in. He took a deep breath, inhaling from his nose and letting it out slowly, fighting his new instinct.

Jake, oblivious to the battle now raging inside his cousin, went on in a smooth, cocky voice. "Well, okay then. If you don't like her, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me taking her, would you?"

Gregor had to stop walking to concentrate all his will power to contain his Rager side. He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his skin, still taking deep breaths through his nose, but now they were faster and more pronounced. Suddenly he felt a hand--claw?--firmly grip his shoulder, breaking his concentration. And then he couldn't contain it any longer and his fist lashed out--how good it felt to finally release it!--only to have a strong tail wrap around his wrist, stopping his blow from landing.

Suddenly his fury went away, almost as quickly as it had come, but the Rager sense left Gregor slowly, seeping away little by little. When enough of it was gone that he could control himself, Gregor snapped his head up almost as if a spell had suddenly been lifted, and found Ripred's nose pressed close up to his, almost touching.

"Master it, Gregor. Control yourself!" the rat urged, his tone commanding.

Gregor squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, tensing his muscles and forcing the Rager sense to leave his body, almost as if he were pushing a physical weight out of himself. When he opened his eyes again the Rager sense was completely gone, but the effort of pushing it away left him trembling and sweating with exertion. At Ripred's questioning cocked eyebrow, Gregor nodded shakily and his tail slowly snaked off his wrist.

Jake was looking at Gregor with confusing--and was that concern? "Gregor?" he said tentatively.

But Ripred pushed him away with his powerful shoulder and pointed with his nose back towards the palace. "Go on, he'll meet you back later." Without making sure Jake obeyed, the rat clutched the back of Gregor's shirt in his claw and began dragging him back to the arena. Gregor was too shocked to object and trailed along behind Ripred mutely, still trembling slightly.

"Come on, kid. You've got some training to do."

* * *

Okay, so I hope you all liked this chapter! I need some comments on the Rager thing; if I made it seem like Gregor was overreacting, I didn't do it right, things like that. It would be sooo helpful! More about the Rager sense kicking in just then in the next chapter...

Again, thanks for all the reviews, but come on, 28 reviews and 610 hits to the story just isn't justifiable! lol Comments, suggestions for improvement, etc. are always welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

So sorry about the wait, guys! I was stuck in a hellhole for a whole week and I've finally climbed back out! (I stayed at a friend's house who had no cable, internet, phone or car and I just about went crazy! And it sooo did not help that she lives 160 miles from me! I had to call my parents for a rescue mission!) Okay, before you all think I'm a horrible person, know this: my friend and I both got tired of each other so the feeling of relief when I went home early was mutual.

Aaaanyway, thank you all sooo much for reviewing! It means a lot! I hope you guys like the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter Six

The arena had cleared for lunchtime so when Gregor and Ripred arrived it was empty and quiet. Ripred led him to the middle of the field and allowed him to regain his composture before bombarding him. "What happened, Rager? Loose your temper?" The rat's voice was layered with sarcasm, but beneath that was something like a taunt.

"Yes," Gregor said tersely.

"I see. And what got your knickers in a twist? Could it be, oh I don't know, a certain Queen? Had a lover's quarrel have you?"

Gregor clenched his jaw. Why was Ripred goading him? "No," he spat.

"Ah, let me see then...Aha, it must be...no, no, can't be Howard. I mean, how could he be mad at you for romantisizing his cousin? Speaking of cousins, just how is that Jake of yours?"

Ripred would have said more, but suddenly Gregor's fist lashed out, cutting him off. The rat lazily avoided the blow and laughed as he slowly began to circle the frustrated Overlander. "So, which is it? Who's got you wound up so tight?" The taunts were clear in Ripred's voice now, even overpowering his usual sarcasm.

Gregor's blood had slowly began to boil and now it was red hot. Ripred had hit all his causes of distress and anger, how was he supposed to ignore that? He clenched his fists again, forcing his arms to his side and holding them there to keep better control of himself. He did his breathings again, slowly breathing in and out, but his breaths became faster and faster as it got harder and harder to contain his Rager instincts.

"All right, contain it Gregor. Master it," Ripred whispered encouragingly. Gregor hardly noticed the rat's sudden change in attitude, too wrapped up in suppressing his frustated Rager sense.

"I can't!" he gasped, a new coat of sweat dotting his skin.

"You can. You must. Concentrate," Ripred said quietly, stopping his circling to stand directly in front of Gregor, although Gregor didn't notice. After several more moments of this Gregor began to grunt and moan from the exertion and Ripred made a decision.

The large rat jumped a few feet back and said, "All right, let it go. Fight me!"

Gregor succumbed to his Rager sense gratefully and he lunged at Ripred, fists flying, his body pumping adrenalin. Ripred easily deflected his attacks but stayed close in range so Gregor could get it all out of his system. "If you can't control it, center it! Chanel it into something helpful, productive! When you don't it makes you reckless and that can be fatal."

His words fell on deaf ears as Gregor continued his unorganized, sloppy attack. Gradually his attacks slowed and soon he slumped to the ground, exhausted. HIs body had no room left for anything other than exhaustion so his Rager sense slipped away as he lay panting on the ground. Ripred stood off to the side, allowing him to regain his breath. When Gregor had gathered the energy, he lifted his head and sat up a little.

"What happened?" He didn't elaborate, but Ripred knew what he meant.

"As a Rager your emotions are always on edge and can be more overwhelming than usual. Mostly anger, stress, frustration, and fear are the hardest to contain, and these emotions are what fuel your Rager side. But you have to contain it."

"How?" Gregor asked desperately. "Teach me."

Ripred sighed and suddenly his sarcasm was back. "Must I repeat everything? As I said before, chanel your emotions into something productive, something nonlethal to you and those around you. Like a sport or work."

"I can't exactly drop everything I'm doing and run to play football every time I get angry," Gregor said exasperatingly.

"Then don't get angry," Ripred said with infuriating cockyness.

"That's impossible," Gregor snapped.

"Nothing is impossible. Work at it. You'll figure it out."

* * *

By the time Gregor made it back to the palace, lunch was long over. But that was the way he preferred it: he wasn't ready yet to confront anyone, particularly Luxa, after what had happened last night. And he needed some time to think to himself. Wanting to bathe, Gregor gathered some clean Underland clothing and made his way to the bathrooms.

Sighing as he slid into the water and allowed his body to relax, Gregor closed his eyes. This Rager thing was really starting to get out of control. And it was kicking in almost speratically, without warning. Some days he could go without once losing his temper or feeling overwhelmed by his senses, but on the days that he did, it was nearly unbareable. Gregor sighed, sinking lower into the water. Ripred said he had to gain control of his Rager side, but how could he do that? Sure, channeling it into something productive like slicing open a few rats was easy here in the Underland, but he couldn't possibly do something like that back home. He would just have to be careful and watch himself. As far as Gregor could tell, his Rager senses reacted more violently to anger and fear, forget stress and frustration, those he could handle. And he only experienced heart-stopping fear in the Underland, so he wasn't too worried about that either, but anger--yes, anger was a problem.

Gregor didn't know what his breaking point was and he didn't know how he could contain it all. Everything just seemed so impossible!

Giving his hair one more rinse, Gregor ducked beneath the water and stayed for as long as he could, coming back up sputtering. Wiping his eyes, he walked to the edge of the pool and was about to pull himself out of the water when he noticed Boots standing in the doorway. She giggled happily and waved to him, grinning. "Hi Grego!" she called. Before Gregor could reply, she waved again, this time in goodbye, and raced from the room again. Gregor pulled himself from the water and hurriedly wrapped a towel around his waist, starting after her. What was she doing all the way down here? All by herself, unattended? Gregor knew the palace was the safest place Boots could possibly be in the Underland, but still, she was just a little girl and there were many stairways she could fall down and too many passages for her little girl mind to navigate. She could get hurt.

Without really thinking, Gregor followed her out into the hall, sliding a little as he went. He caught up to her just a few feet from the doorway and grabbed her wrist to stop her. Just as he did, he slipped and nearly fell, but caught himself in time.

"Boots, baby, what're you doing here all by yourself?" Gregor asked, kneeling to her height. Boots giggled a little and suddenly Gregor realized they weren't alone. There, standing just in front of them, was the very least person Gregor would have liked to see with him in his current state. Already knowing who it was, he squeezed his eyes shut in a desperate, useless prayer before slowly looking up.

Although he had known from the beginning who it was, when his eyes landed on her face he couldn't help but yelp, "Luxa!"

She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, a small smirk playing at her lips. "Gregor," she replied calmly, stifling a small laugh and looking a little uncomfortable herself despite her pretence.

Gregor stood up and self-consciencly adjusted the towel wrapped around his waist and moved to hide behind Boots a little. He watched as Luxa took in his dripping hair and wet body, her smile getting bigger all the time until finally she was just out right laughing. Gregor groaned inwardly and kept his hands on Boots' shoulders so she would stay shielding him

"Okay, you can stop laughing now," Gregor said a little irritably, but he was smiling all the same. He was actually glad Luxa found it funny: for a moment the uneasiness and tension could be felt in the air and her laughter was a good icebreaker.

"I apologize," Luxa said when she'd gotten herself under control. "Boots and I were just coming down to bathe. I had no idea you were here."

Gregor knew that Luxa had her own personal tub in her quarters and wandered why she didn't just bathe there, but didn't press it. "Yeah," he chuckled nervously. He knew he should turn and run back to the safety of the washroom, to his clothes, but he was still totally mortified to be standing in front of the girl he liked wearing nothing but a towel and dripping water on her palace floor. He couldn't move.

When Gregor stayed rooted to the spot, Luxa took it upon herself to leave. "Yes, well, as...entertaining as this run in has been, I've got to get going. I'll take Boots with me, if you want," she offered, now obviously uncomfortable.

Gregor nodded, mumbling incoherently and gave Boots a sort of push in her direction. Luxa looked at him strangely and began to walk away, leading Boots but the hand.

"Bye-bye, Grego!" Boots called, resisting Luxa only a little.

Boots' voice brought Gregor back to his senses and he wanted to kick himself for looking like a complete idiot in front of Luxa. Without thinking, he called out. "Hey, Luxa!"

The pale girl stopped and turned to look back at him, her eyebrow raised slightly.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night," he blurted. "A-about my mom and all. I shouldn't have--"

"Worry not. The decision to leave the palace was mutual, if not my entirely fault. I hold nothing over your head." Luxa smiled a little. "See you at dinner." And with that, she turned and walk away. Gregor couldn't help but notice she didn't stop at the girls' washroom as she said she was. Had she just come down here to look for him?

Relieved that everything seemed to be fixed with Luxa, Gregor hurried back into the washroom to get dressed before anyone else came along.

* * *

Okay, as awesome as you guys are in your reviews, I would like some more helpful comments or suggestions. Anything! I'd like to know what you think about how I'm doing Gregor's Rager senses. Too much, good, bad, should I continue with it...? Stuff like that. And anything else you want to comment or suggest on.

Thanks so much!


	7. Chapter 7

I have no excuse. As per usual, sorry for the late update, blah blah blah...lol

Thank you to all who reviewed Chapter Five; it is greatly appreciated! Special thanks goes out to **Bisou Namine**, who reminded me about the contractions in the Underlanders' speech. I would just like to point out though, that only Luxa spoke with contractions; I was thinking that she could have started to pick up on Gregor's speech, letting it slip into her own, but I guess I didn't pull that off too well. :D However, thank you for your help and expressing your concern!

* * *

Chapter Seven

Gregor, having nothing else to do before dinner but not wanting to jinx the right he had made with Luxa, wandered the palace halls for hours, mindlessly roaming whilst lost in his troubling thoughts of his Rager side. Deciding he had enough to worry about at the moment, he pushed the Rager thoughts from his head: thinking about it only made him frustrated and that was _so_ not helping.

On his way to dinner he stopped by to peek in at his mom, who was sleeping yet again. Gregor knew sleep was good for her, especially after her strain of worry over his disappearance, but he couldn't help but be a tad anxious about her. She had been under the Underlanders' care for weeks and though she looked improved, her healing was slow going. He did not know how much longer his family could make it without her.

Groaning to himself as he realized he was plaguing himself with worries again, he forced himself to look on the bright side—here he had to pause to think of one. Finally, he mustered "At least I can never complain of boredom!" It was lame, even to his ears, but he had no more time to dwell on his troubles for at that moment he reached Luxa's quarters.

The door opened without him knocking; Vikus stepped out just as Gregor reached forward to knock.

"Gregor!" Vikus exclaimed pleasantly. "The others are inside waiting for you to start."

"Aren't you eating?"

"Alas I must see into my wife's quarters; she is expecting me."

Gregor smiled, fighting to keep the pity from his expression. Poor Vikus; it was obvious how much he still cared for his traitorous wife. It pained Gregor to see such a good guy paired with an evil woman.

"Okay, see you later then, Vikus!" Gregor waved at Vikus' retreating form. Taking a moment to compose himself, he then entered the large estate that was Luxa's home, nodding politely to the two guards standing on either side of the entrance.

"Grego we eat!" Boots' ever-happy voice reached his ears and he looked up to see her, Luxa, Hazzard and…Jake sitting at the table with a feast already prepared and waiting for them.

Gregor, doing his best to ignore Jake, took his seat beside Boots, who immediately shoved a piece of rye bread into his mouth. Gregor, choking slightly, gently pushed her hand away. "Thanks Boots," he said, his voice strained after having almost swallowed the bite whole.

"Welcome!" came her absent answer and she went on to giggle at the roundness of her peas.

Gregor, taking a large sip of water, looked up to see Luxa glaring coldly at him, causing him to nearly choke again. What had he done this time? Then he noticed Jake grinning at him smugly and he realized for the first time that Jake was sitting very close to Luxa, closer than Gregor would have liked.

"So Gregor, I was just telling Luxa about our day today. She says she'd love to see me with a sword in hand on the training field."

Gregor, looking at Luxa, said monotonously, "I'm sure she did."

Luxa, purposefully ignoring him, picked at her meat silently.

Gregor sighed, his appetite suddenly gone. Dang it, what did he do? Try as he might, he could not think of what he could have done to make her angry with him. Again. Heck, he hadn't even seen her since the uncomfortable run in down in the washrooms. Surely she wasn't angry at him for _that_? After all, hadn't she accepted his apology and laughed it off?

Suddenly Gregor did not care. He was tired of constantly worrying about his relationship with Luxa, waiting for her to be mad at him, taking the accusations from those who disapproved of his feelings for her and wandering if she shared those feelings. Of all the things making him anxious, Luxa, he suddenly realized, was at the top of his list, but he had more stressing problems to worry about. He had more important things to take care of, like saving the Underland for instance. He did not have the time to stop every fifteen minutes to patch things up with his temperamental friend.

Finishing his dinner without tasting it, he wordlessly scooped Boots up and walked for the door, intending to head back to their chambers. But Luxa's voice interrupted him.

"I would like a word with you Overlander, before you retire. Privately," she stressed, her voice cold and as regal as ever. Gregor knew she only ever pulled her authority over him when she was really mad at him. And what was worse, she had gone back to calling him 'Overlander', a sure sign that she was not going to forgive him any time soon.

Stopping but not turning back to face her, Gregor said, "Sorry Your _Highness_," he said sarcastically, "but I'm not in the mood. Maybe tomorrow." With that, he moved forward, this time reaching the door, but was again stopped.

"Whatever happened to everyone within the city walls being under the Queen's authority?" Jake's mocking voice cut in, stopping Gregor in his tracks. "It _was_ you who so kindly reminded me of my place, wasn't it? What makes you so special to ignore the Queen when she wishes to speak with you?"

Gregor, grinding his teeth, turned back to face them. Luxa was looking at him with satisfaction. She glanced at Jake. "Leave," she ordered lightly and he obeyed, smirking at Gregor as he took Boots from his arms.

"We won't wait up," he said with another smirk, laughing as he exited the room.

Gregor glared at Luxa. "You wanted to talk. So talk."

"What were you thinking!" she hissed, striding across the room to him, her previously composed face twisted in anger. "What you have done—"

Gregor cut her off irritably. "What are you talking about?"

"This afternoon, on the training field. Jake told me all about your crazed ride on Ares and the whole palace has been buzzing with gossip about how you and your bond shamed Jake in front of all the trainers!"

"So?" Gregor said, not understanding. "What's the big deal; he had it coming."

"You are jeopardizing _every_thing! If you cross him, your cousin could bring the fall of my people! We are supposed to be showing him the _good_ of Underland; how is being a royal arse to him helping to convince him to keep quiet?" Luxa glared at him, her normally pale cheeks flushed with anger.

Gregor, finally realizing what she meant, felt slightly guilty, but retaliated nonetheless. "It was just a joke, Luxa! Nothing damaging, okay? Jake is used to that kind of stuff; that's how we live up there. No one is as serious or uptight as everyone down here."

"Regardless," Luxa said smoothly, regaining her composure and cold regal-ness, "we cannot take the chance. Jake is to be treated kindly and—"

"I'm not gonna suck up to him, if that's what you're asking," Gregor said.

She ignored him. "I have spoken, Overlander, and my word is law, as far as you are concerned. You are dismissed."

Gregor scoffed. "You know, I liked you better when Henry was around. At least then you had a sense of humor." Instantly he regretted his words, but he refused to take them back. "This whole Queen of the Damned isn't doing much for me," he said with contempt as he left, slamming the door harshly behind him.

He walked swiftly down the hall, his indignance slowly draining out of him. No longer fueled, Gregor's heart panged with guilt. He should not have said those things to Luxa, but neither should she have treated him so coldly. Still, his words were not justifiable; he knew she was simply worried about her home and the wellbeing of her people.

Replaying the scene in his mind, Gregor visibly slumped. He was such a worm.

* * *

I know, I don't deserve it! But please, review so I know people are still reading!! 


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